Providing special radio provisions to link budget limited user equipment at activation

ABSTRACT

System and methods for providing special radio provisions to link budget limited devices. Before establishing a cellular connection with a cellular network, a user equipment device (UE), such as a link budget limited UE, may negotiate the special radio provisions with the network by presenting requested profile information to the network, and receiving back approved profile information from the network. The UE may perform these communications either directly, via a non-cellular communication connection with the network, or indirectly, via a companion or proxy device. When the UE initiates a cellular connection with the network, both entities may use information specified in the approved profile information, which may improve efficiency of the connection. In some scenarios, the approved profile information may identify a class of devices to which the UE belongs. The approved profile information may also be used in establishing connections with other devices of the same class.

PRIORITY CLAIM

This application is a divisional of and claims priority to U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 15/169,400, entitled “Providing Special RadioProvisions to Link Budget Limited User Equipment at Activation,” filedMay 31, 2016, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entiretyas though fully and completely set forth herein.

The claims in the instant application are different than those of theparent application or other related applications. The Applicanttherefore rescinds any disclaimer of claim scope made in the parentapplication or any predecessor application in relation to the instantapplication. The Examiner is therefore advised that any such previousdisclaimer, and the cited references that it was made to avoid, may needto be revisited. Further, any disclaimer made in the instant applicationshould not be read into or against the parent application or otherrelated applications.

FIELD

The present application relates to wireless communication, includingefficiently establishing a cellular network connection for a link budgetlimited cellular communication device.

DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART

Wireless communication systems are rapidly growing in usage. Further,wireless communication technology has evolved from voice-onlycommunications to also include the transmission of data, such asInternet and multimedia content.

Mobile electronic devices may take the form of smart phones or tabletsthat a user typically carries. Wearable devices are a newer form ofmobile electronic device, one example being smart watches. Certain typesof mobile electronic devices, such as wearable devices, commonly havehad limited wireless communications capabilities and may have beencapable of communicating only over wired interfaces or short-rangepoint-to-point technologies. Wearable devices typically have smallerbatteries than larger portable devices, such as smart phones andtablets. Wearable devices also may have different thermalcharacteristics that larger devices, e.g., because of their small size.

It would be desirable for wearable devices and other limited mobiledevices to provide communications capabilities similar to those of smartphones. Thus, improvements in the field are desirable.

SUMMARY

Embodiments are presented herein of, inter alia, a system and associatedmethods for providing special radio provisions to link budget limiteduser equipment, such as at activation.

A user equipment device (UE) is disclosed, the UE including: a cellularradio configured to communicate with a base station of a cellularcommunication network using a cellular communication protocol; at leastone processor communicatively coupled to the cellular radio; and atleast one memory. The at least one memory may store a device classidentifier indicating that the UE belongs to a first device class. Theat least one memory may further include software instructions executableby the at least one processor, wherein the software instructions, whenexecuted by the at least one processor, cause the UE to receive, fromthe cellular communication network, values of one or more cellularconnection settings for a cellular connection between the UE and thebase station, wherein the received values of the one or more cellularconnection settings may be configured to improve efficiency ofestablishing a cellular connection between the base station and a devicebelonging to the first device class. The software instructions may befurther executable to cause the UE to transmit a connection initiationrequest including the device class identifier to the base station toestablish a cellular connection using cellular connection settings basedon the values of the one or more cellular connection settings previouslyreceived from the cellular communication network.

In some embodiments, the UE may further include a non-cellular radiocommunicatively coupled to the at least one processor, the non-cellularradio configured to communicate with the cellular communication networkusing a non-cellular communication protocol. Receiving the values of oneor more cellular connection settings may be performed via thenon-cellular radio. The software instructions may be further executableto cause the UE to: transmit, to the cellular communication network, viathe non-cellular radio, requested values of the one or more cellularconnection settings, wherein the received values are based on therequested values. In some cases, at least one of the approved values fora first cellular connection setting may be the same as the requestedvalue for the first cellular connection setting. In some cases, at leastone of the approved values for a first cellular connection setting maybe different than the requested value for the first cellular connectionsetting.

In some embodiments, the UE may further include a non-cellular radiocommunicatively coupled to the at least one processor, the non-cellularradio configured to communicate, using a non-cellular communicationprotocol, with a companion device associated with the UE, wherein thecompanion device is configured to obtain the values of the one or morecellular connection settings from the cellular communication network.The receiving the values of one or more cellular connection settings maybe performed via the companion device. The software instructions may befurther executable to cause the UE to transmit, to the companion device,via the non-cellular radio, requested values of the one or more cellularconnection settings, wherein the received values are based on therequested values.

A method for establishing a cellular network connection for a linkbudget limited cellular communication device is disclosed. The linkbudget limited cellular communication device may communicate to acellular communication network, prior to transmitting a connectioninitiation request to the cellular communication network, requestedvalues of one or more cellular connection settings for a cellularconnection between the cellular communication network and the linkbudget limited cellular communication device. The link budget limitedcellular communication device may also receive from the cellularcommunication network, prior to transmitting the connection initiationrequest to the cellular communication network, approved values for theone or more cellular connection settings. The link budget limitedcellular communication device may also transmit, after saidcommunicating the requested values and after said receiving the approvedvalues, the connection initiation request to the cellular communicationnetwork to establish a cellular connection using cellular connectionsettings based on the approved values.

In some embodiments, the approved values may be determined by thecellular communication network in response to the cellular communicationnetwork receiving the requested values of the one or more cellularconnection settings from the link budget limited cellular communicationdevice.

In some cases, at least one of the approved values for a first cellularconnection setting may be the same as the requested value for the firstcellular connection setting. In some cases, at least one of the approvedvalues for a first cellular connection setting may be different than therequested value for the first cellular connection setting.

In some embodiments, communicating to the cellular communication networkmay include the link budget limited cellular communication devicecommunicating the requested values of the one or more cellularconnection settings to a provisioning server, and the provisioningserver communicating the requested values of the one or more cellularconnection settings to a Home Subscriber Server (HSS). The approvedvalues may be determined by the HSS.

In some embodiments, the requested values may be selected to improveefficiency of establishing the cellular connection between the cellularcommunication network and the link budget limited cellular communicationdevice.

In some embodiments, the communicating to the cellular communicationnetwork and the receiving from the cellular communication network may beperformed over a non-cellular connection.

In some embodiments, the communicating to the cellular communicationnetwork and the receiving from the cellular communication network may beperformed via a mobile device acting as a proxy for the link budgetlimited device, wherein the mobile device has a previously establishedcellular connection with the cellular communication network.

A base station of a cellular communication network is disclosed, thebase station including: at least one radio configured to communicatewith a user equipment device (UE); at least one processorcommunicatively coupled to the at least one radio; and at least onememory. The at least one memory may store a device class profileincluding an identifier of a device class and one or more cellularconnection settings to be used in configuring a cellular connectionbetween the base station and a device of the identified device class.The at least one memory may further store software instructionsexecutable by the at least one processor, wherein the softwareinstructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause thebase station to: receive from the UE a connection initiation requestincluding an indication of a device class of the UE; determine whetherthe device class of the UE is the same as the device class identified bythe device class profile; in response to determining that the deviceclass of the UE is the same as the device class identified by the deviceclass profile, establish a cellular connection with the UE using the oneor more cellular connection settings of the device class profile; and inresponse to determining that the device class of the UE is not the sameas the device class identified by the device class profile, establish acellular connection with the UE without regard to the one or morecellular connection settings of the device class profile.

In some embodiments, the software instructions may further cause thebase station to receive the device class profile from a core network ofthe cellular communication network prior to receiving the connectioninitiation request.

In some embodiments, the UE may be a link budget limited device, and thedevice class profile may be negotiated with the cellular communicationnetwork, prior to receiving the connection initiation request, by acompanion device associated with the UE.

In some embodiments, the one or more cellular connection settings may beconfigured to improve efficiency of establishing the cellular connectionbetween the base station and the UE.

In some embodiments, the at least one memory may further store a seconddevice class profile including an identifier of a second device class,different from the first device class. The second device class profilemay further include one or more cellular connection settings to be usedin configuring a cellular connection between the base station and adevice of the identified second device class.

This Summary is intended to provide a brief overview of some of thesubject matter described in this document. Accordingly, it will beappreciated that the above-described features are merely examples andshould not be construed to narrow the scope or spirit of the subjectmatter described herein in any way. Other features, aspects, andadvantages of the subject matter described herein will become apparentfrom the following Detailed Description, Figures, and Claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A better understanding of the present subject matter can be obtainedwhen the following detailed description of the embodiments is consideredin conjunction with the following drawings.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example wireless communication system including asecondary wireless device, according to some embodiments;

FIG. 2 illustrates an example system where a secondary wireless devicecan selectively either directly communicate with a cellular base stationor utilize the cellular capabilities of an intermediate or proxy device,according to some embodiments;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an example secondary wirelessdevice, according to some embodiments;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an example base station,according to some embodiments;

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram illustrating an example operation of a linkbudget limited device negotiating special radio provisions for the linkbudget limited device, according to some embodiments; and

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram illustrating an example operation of acompanion device negotiating special radio provisions for the linkbudget limited device, according to some embodiments.

While the features described herein are susceptible to variousmodifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof areshown by way of example in the drawings and are herein described indetail. It should be understood, however, that the drawings and detaileddescription thereto are not intended to be limiting to the particularform disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover allmodifications, equivalents and alternatives falling within the spiritand scope of the subject matter as defined by the appended claims.

The term “configured to” is used herein to connote structure byindicating that the units/circuits/components include structure (e.g.,circuitry) that performs the task or tasks during operation. As such,the unit/circuit/component can be said to be configured to perform thetask even when the specified unit/circuit/component is not currentlyoperational (e.g., is not on). The units/circuits/components used withthe “configured to” language include hardware—for example, circuits,memory storing program instructions executable to implement theoperation, etc. Reciting that a unit/circuit/component is “configuredto” perform one or more tasks is expressly intended not to invokeinterpretation under 35 U.S.C. § 112(f) for that unit/circuit/component.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Incorporation by Reference

The following documents contain subject matter relevant to the presentdisclosure, and are hereby incorporated by reference as if fully andcompletely disclosed herein. 3GPP TS 23.203 V.13.7.0; 3GPP TS 36.211V.13.1.0.

Acronyms

The following acronyms are used in this disclosure.

3GPP: Third Generation Partnership Project

3GPP2: Third Generation Partnership Project 2

eSIM: Embedded SIM

GSM: Global System for Mobile Communications

HSS: Home Subscriber Server

ICCID: Integrated Circuit Card Identifier

IMSI: International Mobile Subscriber Identity

LTE: Long Term Evolution

LTE-A: LTE-Advanced

MME: Mobility Management Entity

SIM: Subscriber Identity Module

UMTS: Universal Mobile Telecommunications System

Terminology

The following is a glossary of terms used in this disclosure:

Memory Medium—Any of various types of non-transitory memory devices orstorage devices. The term “memory medium” is intended to include aninstallation medium, e.g., a CD-ROM, floppy disks, or tape device; acomputer system memory or random access memory such as DRAM, DDR RAM,SRAM, EDO RAM, Rambus RAM, etc.; a non-volatile memory such as a Flash,magnetic media, e.g., a hard drive, or optical storage; registers, orother similar types of memory elements, etc. The memory medium mayinclude other types of non-transitory memory as well or combinationsthereof. In addition, the memory medium may be located in a firstcomputer system in which the programs are executed, or may be located ina second different computer system which connects to the first computersystem over a network, such as the Internet. In the latter instance, thesecond computer system may provide program instructions to the firstcomputer for execution. The term “memory medium” may include two or morememory mediums which may reside in different locations, e.g., indifferent computer systems that are connected over a network. The memorymedium may store program instructions (e.g., embodied as computerprograms) that may be executed by one or more processors.

Carrier Medium—a memory medium as described above, as well as a physicaltransmission medium, such as a bus, network, and/or other physicaltransmission medium that conveys signals such as electrical,electromagnetic, or digital signals.

Programmable Hardware Element—includes various hardware devicesincluding multiple programmable function blocks connected via aprogrammable interconnect. Examples include FPGAs (Field ProgrammableGate Arrays), PLDs (Programmable Logic Devices), FPOAs (FieldProgrammable Object Arrays), and CPLDs (Complex PLDs). The programmablefunction blocks may range from fine grained (combinatorial logic or lookup tables) to coarse grained (arithmetic logic units or processorcores). A programmable hardware element may also be referred to as“reconfigurable logic”.

Computer System—any of various types of computing or processing systems,including a personal computer system (PC), mainframe computer system,workstation, network appliance, Internet appliance, personal digitalassistant (PDA), television system, grid computing system, or otherdevice or combinations of devices. In general, the term “computersystem” can be broadly defined to encompass any device (or combinationof devices) having at least one processor that executes instructionsfrom a memory medium.

User Equipment (UE) (or “UE Device”)—any of various types of computersystems devices which are mobile or portable and which performs wirelesscommunications. Examples of UE devices include mobile telephones orsmart phones (e.g., iPhone™, Android™-based phones), portable gamingdevices (e.g., Nintendo DS™, PlayStation Portable™, Gameboy Advance™,iPhone™), laptops, wearable devices (e.g. smart watch, smart glasses),PDAs, portable Internet devices, music players, data storage devices, orother handheld devices, etc. In general, the term “UE” or “UE device”can be broadly defined to encompass any electronic, computing, and/ortelecommunications device (or combination of devices) which is easilytransported by a user and capable of wireless communication.

Base Station—The term “Base Station” (also called “eNB”) has the fullbreadth of its ordinary meaning, and at least includes a wirelesscommunication station installed at a fixed location and used tocommunicate as part of a wireless cellular communication system.

Processing Element—refers to various elements or combinations ofelements. Processing elements include, for example, circuits such as anASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), portions or circuits ofindividual processor cores, entire processor cores, individualprocessors, programmable hardware devices such as a field programmablegate array (FPGA), and/or larger portions of systems that includemultiple processors.

Automatically—refers to an action or operation performed by a computersystem (e.g., software executed by the computer system) or device (e.g.,circuitry, programmable hardware elements, ASICs, etc.), without userinput directly specifying or performing the action or operation. Thusthe term “automatically” is in contrast to an operation being manuallyperformed or specified by the user, where the user provides input todirectly perform the operation. An automatic procedure may be initiatedby input provided by the user, but the subsequent actions that areperformed “automatically” are not specified by the user, i.e., are notperformed “manually”, where the user specifies each action to perform.For example, a user filling out an electronic form by selecting eachfield and providing input specifying information (e.g., by typinginformation, selecting check boxes, radio selections, etc.) is fillingout the form manually, even though the computer system must update theform in response to the user actions. The form may be automaticallyfilled out by the computer system where the computer system (e.g.,software executing on the computer system) analyzes the fields of theform and fills in the form without any user input specifying the answersto the fields. As indicated above, the user may invoke the automaticfilling of the form, but is not involved in the actual filling of theform (e.g., the user is not manually specifying answers to fields butrather they are being automatically completed). The presentspecification provides various examples of operations beingautomatically performed in response to actions the user has taken.

Link Budget Limited—includes the full breadth of its ordinary meaning,and at least includes a characteristic of a wireless device (a UE) whichexhibits limited communication capabilities, or limited power, relativeto a device that is not link budget limited, or relative to devices forwhich a radio access technology (RAT) standard has been developed. A UEthat is link budget limited may experience relatively limited receptionand/or transmission capabilities, which may be due to one or morefactors such as device design, device size, battery size, antenna sizeor design, transmit power, receive power, current transmission mediumconditions, and/or other factors. Such devices may be referred to hereinas “link budget limited” (or “link budget constrained”) devices. Adevice may be inherently link budget limited due to its size, batterypower, and/or transmit/receive power. For example, a smart watch that iscommunicating over LTE or LTE-A with a base station may be inherentlylink budget limited due to its reduced transmit/receive power and/orreduced antenna. Wearable devices, such as smart watches, are generallylink budget limited devices. Alternatively, a device may not beinherently link budget limited, e.g., may have sufficient size, batterypower, and/or transmit/receive power for normal communications over LTEor LTE-A, but may be temporarily link budget limited due to currentcommunication conditions, e.g., a smart phone being at the edge of acell, etc. It is noted that the term “link budget limited” includes orencompasses power limitations, and thus a power limited device may beconsidered a link budget limited device.

FIGS. 1-2—Wireless Communication System

FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a wireless cellular communicationsystem. It is noted that FIG. 1 represents one possibility among many,and that features of the present disclosure may be implemented in any ofvarious systems, as desired.

As shown, the exemplary wireless communication system includes acellular base station 102A, which communicates over a transmissionmedium with one or more wireless devices 106A, 106B, etc., as well assecondary wireless device 107 (also referred to as an accessory device).Wireless devices 106A, 106B, and 107 may be user devices, which may bereferred to herein as “user equipment” (UE) or UE devices.

The base station 102 may be a base transceiver station (BTS) or cellsite, and may include hardware that enables wireless communication withthe UE devices 106A, 106B, and 107. The base station 102 may also beequipped to communicate with a network 100 (e.g., a core network of acellular service provider, a telecommunication network such as a publicswitched telephone network (PSTN), and/or the Internet, among variouspossibilities). Thus, the base station 102 may facilitate communicationbetween the UE devices 106 and 107 and/or between the UE devices 106/107and the network 100. In other implementations, base station 102 can beconfigured to provide communications over one or more other wirelesstechnologies, such as an access point supporting one or more WLANprotocols, such as 802.11 a, b, g, n, ac, ad, and/or ax, or LTE in anunlicensed band (LAA).

The communication area (or coverage area) of the base station 102 may bereferred to as a “cell.” The base station 102 and the UEs 106/107 may beconfigured to communicate over the transmission medium using any ofvarious radio access technologies (RATs) or wireless communicationtechnologies, such as GSM, UMTS (WCDMA, TDS-CDMA), LTE, LTE-Advanced(LTE-A), HSPA, 3GPP2 CDMA2000 (e.g., 1×RTT, 1×EV-DO, HRPD, eHRPD),Wi-Fi, WiMAX etc.

Base station 102 and other similar base stations (not shown) operatingaccording to one or more cellular communication technologies may thus beprovided as a network of cells, which may provide continuous or nearlycontinuous overlapping service to UE devices 106A-B and 107 and similardevices over a wide geographic area via one or more cellularcommunication technologies.

Note that at least in some instances a UE device 106/107 may be capableof communicating using any of a plurality of wireless communicationtechnologies. For example, a UE device 106/107 might be configured tocommunicate using one or more of GSM, UMTS, CDMA2000, WiMAX, LTE, LTE-A,WLAN, Bluetooth, one or more global navigational satellite systems(GNSS, e.g., GPS or GLONASS), one and/or more mobile televisionbroadcasting standards (e.g., ATSC-M/H), etc. Other combinations ofwireless communication technologies (including more than two wirelesscommunication technologies) are also possible. Likewise, in someinstances a UE device 106/107 may be configured to communicate usingonly a single wireless communication technology.

The UEs 106A and 106B are typically handheld devices such as smartphones or tablets, but may be any of various types of device withcellular communications capability. The UE 106B may be configured tocommunicate with the UE device 107, which may be referred to as asecondary wireless device 107 (or accessory device). The secondarywireless device 107 may be any of various types of devices, such as awearable device, a tablet computing device, a laptop computer, or ahandheld device. The secondary wireless device 107 may, in some cases,have a smaller form factor and/or may be link budget limited; e.g., thesecondary wireless device may have limited battery, output power, and/orcommunications abilities relative to UEs 106. As one common example, theUE 106B may be a smart phone carried by a user, and the secondarywireless device 107 may be a smart watch worn and/or owned by that sameuser. The UE 106B and the secondary wireless device 107 may communicate,e.g., using any of various short range communication protocols, such asBluetooth.

The secondary wireless device 107 includes cellular communicationcapability and hence is able to directly communicate with cellular basestation 102. However, since the secondary wireless device 107 ispossibly one or more of communication, output power and/or batterylimited, the secondary wireless device 107 may in some instancesselectively utilize the UE 106B as a proxy for communication purposeswith the base station 102 and hence to the network 100. In other words,the secondary wireless device 107 may selectively use the cellularcommunication capabilities of the UE 106B to conduct its cellularcommunications. The limitation on communication abilities of thesecondary wireless device 107 can be permanent, e.g., due to limitationsin output power or the radio access technologies (RATs) supported, ortemporary, e.g., dues to conditions such as current battery status,inability to access a network, or poor reception.

In some embodiments the UE 106B and/or the secondary wireless device 107may be configured to implement features for negotiating and/or utilizingspecial radio provisions for link budget limited user equipment, asdescribed herein.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example secondary wireless device 107 incommunication with base station 102. The secondary wireless device 107may be a wearable device such as a smart watch. The secondary wirelessdevice 107 may include cellular communication capability and be capableof directly communicating with the base station 102 as shown. Thesecondary wireless device 107 may also be capable of communicating withanother device (e.g., UE 106), e.g., using a short range communicationsprotocol, such as Wi-Fi or Bluetooth.

The secondary wireless device 107 may also be capable of communicatingwith another device (e.g., UE 106), referred to as a proxy device orintermediate device, using a short range communications protocol, andmay then use the cellular functionality of this proxy device forcommunicating cellular voice/data with the base station 102. In otherwords, the secondary wireless device 107 may provide voice/data packetsintended for the base station 102 over the short range link to the UE106, and the UE 106 may use its cellular functionality to transmit (orrelay) this voice/data to the base station on behalf of the secondarywireless device 107. Similarly, the voice/data packets transmitted bythe base station and intended for the secondary wireless device 107 maybe received by the cellular functionality of the UE 106 and then may berelayed over the short range link to the secondary wireless device. Asnoted above, the UE 106 may be a mobile phone, a tablet, or any othertype of hand-held device, a media player, a computer, a laptop orvirtually any type of wireless device.

The secondary wireless device 107 may include a processor that isconfigured to execute program instructions stored in memory. Thesecondary wireless device 107 may perform any of the method embodimentsdescribed herein by executing such stored instructions. Alternatively,or in addition, the secondary wireless device 107 may include aprogrammable hardware element such as an FPGA (field-programmable gatearray), or other circuitry, that is configured to perform any of themethod embodiments described herein, or any portion of any of the methodembodiments described herein. For example, the secondary wireless device107 may be configured to perform dynamic multi-SIM provisioning, asdescribed herein.

The secondary wireless device 107 may include one or more antennas forcommunicating using two or more wireless communication protocols orradio access technologies. In some embodiments, the secondary wirelessdevice 107 might be configured to communicate using a single sharedradio. The shared radio may couple to a single antenna, or may couple tomultiple antennas (e.g., for MIMO) for performing wirelesscommunications. Alternatively, the secondary wireless device 107 mayinclude two or more radios. For example, the secondary wireless device107 might include a shared radio for communicating using either of LTE(or LTE-Advanced) or Bluetooth, and separate radios for communicatingusing each of LTE-Advanced and Bluetooth. Other configurations are alsopossible.

The secondary wireless device 107 may be any of various types of devicesthat, in some embodiments, has a smaller form factor relative to aconventional smart phone, and may have one or more of limitedcommunication capabilities, limited output power, or limited batterylife relative to a conventional smart phone. As noted above, in someembodiments, the secondary wireless device 107 may be a smart watch orother type of wearable device. As another example, the secondarywireless device 107 may be a tablet device, such as an iPad.

FIG. 3—Example Block Diagram of a Secondary Wireless Device

FIG. 3 illustrates one possible block diagram of a secondary wirelessdevice 107. As shown, the secondary wireless device 107 may include asystem on chip (SOC) 300, which may include portions for variouspurposes. For example, as shown, the SOC 300 may include processor(s)302 which may execute program instructions for the secondary wirelessdevice 107, and display circuitry 304 which may perform graphicsprocessing and provide display signals to the display 360. Theprocessor(s) 302 may also be coupled to memory management unit (MMU)340, which may be configured to receive addresses from the processor(s)302 and translate those addresses to locations in memory (e.g., memory306, read only memory (ROM) 350, Flash memory 310). The MMU 340 may beconfigured to perform memory protection and page table translation orset up. In some embodiments, the MMU 340 may be included as a portion ofthe processor(s) 302.

The secondary wireless device 107 may also include other circuits ordevices, such as the display circuitry 304, radio 330, connector I/F320, and/or display 340. The wireless device 107 may further include oneor more smart cards 370 that include SIM (Subscriber Identity Module)functionality, such as one or more UICC(s) (Universal Integrated CircuitCard(s)).

In the embodiment shown, ROM 350 may include a bootloader, which may beexecuted by the processor(s) 302 during boot up or initialization. Asalso shown, the SOC 300 may be coupled to various other circuits of thesecondary wireless device 107. For example, the secondary wirelessdevice 107 may include various types of memory, a connector interface320 (e.g., for coupling to a computer system), the display 360, andwireless communication circuitry (e.g., for communication using LTE,CDMA2000, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, NFC, GPS, etc.).

The secondary wireless device 107 may include at least one antenna, andin some embodiments multiple antennas, for performing wirelesscommunication with base stations and/or other devices. For example, thesecondary wireless device 107 may use antenna 335 to perform thewireless communication. As noted above, the UE may in some embodimentsbe configured to communicate wirelessly using a plurality of wirelesscommunication standards or radio access technologies (RATs).

As noted above, the secondary wireless device 107 may include at leastone smart card 370, such as a UICC, which executes one or moreSubscriber Identity Module (SIM) applications and/or otherwiseimplements SIM functionality. The at least one smart card 370 may beonly a single smart card 370, or the secondary wireless device 107 mayinclude two or more smart cards 370.

Each smart card 370 may be embedded, e.g., may be soldered onto acircuit board in the secondary wireless device 107, or each smart card370 may be implemented as a removable smart card. Thus the smart card(s)370 may be one or more removable smart cards (such as UICCs, which aresometimes referred to as “SIM cards”), and/or the smart card(s) 370 maybe one or more embedded cards (such as embedded UICCs (eUICCs), whichare sometimes referred to as “eSIM cards”), which may befixed/non-removable. In some embodiments, the secondary wireless device107 may include a combination of removable smart cards and embeddedsmart cards, as desired. For example, the UE 106 may include twoembedded smart cards 370, two removable smart cards 370, or acombination of one embedded smart card 370 and one removable smart card370. Various other SIM configurations are also contemplated.

In some embodiments, one or more of the smart card(s) 370 may implementembedded SIM (eSIM) functionality. In such embodiments, a single one ofthe smart card(s) 370 may execute multiple SIMs. An eSIM may beimplemented on either an eUICC or a removable UICC, as long as thecard's operating system supports eSIM functionality.

Each of the smart card(s) 370 may include components such as a processorand a memory. Instructions for performing SIM/eSIM functionality may bestored in the memory and executed by the processor.

As described herein, the secondary wireless device 107 may includehardware and software components for implementing methods according toembodiments of this disclosure. For example, the secondary wirelessdevice 107 may include hardware and software components for implementingfeatures for negotiating and/or utilizing special radio provisions forlink budget limited user equipment, such as those described herein withreference to, inter alia, FIGS. 5-6. The processor 302 of the secondarywireless device 107 may be configured to implement part or all of themethods described herein, e.g., by executing program instructions storedon a memory medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable memorymedium). In other embodiments, processor 302 may be configured as aprogrammable hardware element, such as an FPGA (Field Programmable GateArray), or as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit).

It is noted that the UEs 106A and 106B shown in FIG. 1 may have asimilar architecture to that described above.

FIG. 4—Example Block Diagram of a Base Station

FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary block diagram of a base station 102. Itis noted that the base station of FIG. 4 is merely one example of apossible base station. As shown, the base station 102 may includeprocessor(s) 450 which may execute program instructions for the basestation 102. The processor(s) 450 may also be coupled to memorymanagement unit (MMU) 455, which may be configured to receive addressesfrom the processor(s) 450 and translate those addresses to locations inmemory (e.g., memory 460 and read only memory (ROM) 465) or to othercircuits or devices.

The base station 102 may include at least one network port 470. Thenetwork port 470 may be configured to couple to a telephone network andprovide a plurality of devices, such as UE devices 106 and the secondarywireless device 107, access to the telephone network as described abovein FIGS. 1 and 2.

The network port 470 (or an additional network port) may also oralternatively be configured to couple to a cellular network, e.g., acore network of a cellular service provider. The core network mayprovide mobility related services and/or other services to a pluralityof devices, such as UE devices 106 and the secondary wireless device107. In some cases, the network port 470 may couple to a telephonenetwork via the core network, and/or the core network may provide atelephone network (e.g., among other UE devices serviced by the cellularservice provider).

The base station 102 may include at least one antenna 475, and possiblymultiple antennas. The at least one antenna 475 may be configured tooperate as a wireless transceiver and may be further configured tocommunicate with UE devices 106 and/or the secondary wireless device 107via radio 480. The antenna 475 communicates with the radio 480 viacommunication chain 485. Communication chain 485 may be a receive chain,a transmit chain or both. The radio 480 may be configured to communicatevia various wireless telecommunication standards, including, but notlimited to, LTE, LTE-A, UMTS, CDMA2000, etc.

An additional network device within the cellular network, e.g., the MME,HSS, and/or provisioning server of FIGS. 5-6, may, in some scenarios,have a structure similar to that of the base station 102, as shown inFIG. 4, except that the additional network device may, in somescenarios, lack components for radio communications (e.g., the antenna475, the radio 480, and/or the communication chain 485). For example,the additional network device may include processor(s) 450, memorymanagement unit (MMU) 455, memory 460, read only memory (ROM) 465,and/or network port 470, as illustrated in FIG. 4 and described above.

As described further subsequently herein, the BS 102, as well as variousof the network devices in FIGS. 5-6, may include hardware and softwarecomponents for implementing features for negotiating and/or providingspecial radio provisions to link budget limited user equipment, such asthose described herein with reference to, inter alia, FIGS. 5-6. Theprocessor 450 of the base station 102 may be configured to implementpart or all of the methods described herein, e.g., by executing programinstructions stored on a memory medium (e.g., a non-transitorycomputer-readable memory medium). Alternatively, the processor 450 maybe configured as a programmable hardware element, such as an FPGA (FieldProgrammable Gate Array), or as an ASIC (Application Specific IntegratedCircuit), or a combination thereof. Alternatively (or in addition), theprocessor 450 of the BS 102, in conjunction with one or more of theother components 455, 460, 465, 470, 475, 480, 485 may be configured toimplement part or all of the features described herein, such as thefeatures described herein with reference to, inter alia, FIGS. 5-6.

Optimization of Cellular Connection Establishment

A cellular communication device (e.g., a UE), such as the UE 106 or thesecondary wireless device 107, may attach to a cellular communicationnetwork via a base station, such as the base station 102. For example,the UE may attach to an LTE network according to the random accessprocedure (RAP) defined for that standard. This may occur, for example,when the UE is activated. During the attach procedure, the UE mayexchange messages with the cellular communication network (e.g., with abase station of the cellular communication network, such as an eNodeB).For example, the attach procedure may typically be initiated by the UEtransmitting a connection initiation request to the cellularcommunication network. For example, the UE may initiate attachment to anLTE network by transmitting an initial attach request, sometimesreferred to as message 1 (MSG1). Other cellular communication networksmay use connection initiation requests of other formats andnomenclatures.

Some link budget limited devices, such as the secondary wireless device107, may be capable of performing applications traditionally performedonly by less limited UEs. For example, a link budget limited smart watchmay be capable of conducting cellular voice communications. However,low-power transmitters have traditionally been associated withlow-priority and/or low-data-rate applications, such as embeddedsensors. As a result, in a traditional system, a cellular communicationnetwork may recognize a link budget limited device as a low-powertransmitter, and may therefore set parameters for a connection with thelink budget limited device based on an assumption that the link budgetlimited device requires few network resources. Thus, a link budgetlimited device may be handicapped in performing high-priority,high-data-rate applications,

Additionally, in traditional systems, a cellular communication networkmay be optimized for performance of less limited UEs. As a result, alink budget limited device may encounter difficulty when connecting tothe cellular communication network, even if provided with the sameresources as a less limited UE. For example, the link budget limiteddevice may have substantially less battery power than a traditional UE,or may have a low maximum transmit power, e.g., due to battery and/orantenna limitations. However, the cellular communication network mayoptimize connection parameters (e.g. NAT session timeout, QoSparameters) based on assumptions that a UE will have more traditionalbattery power and transmit power.

For these reasons, it may be advantageous to communicate to the cellularcommunication network minimum or optimal parameters for a connectionwith the link budget limited device.

To accomplish this, a UE (e.g., a link budget limited device) mayidentify its device class (also referred to as device type or devicecategory) to the cellular communication network, e.g., in the connectioninitiation request. The cellular communication network may store deviceclass profiles specifying connection settings and/or other parametersthat are desirable (e.g., optimized) for given device classes. When theUE requests attachment to the cellular communication network andidentifies its device class, the cellular communication network mayestablish a cellular connection with the UE using the connectionsettings and/or other parameters specified in the device class profilefor the identified device class of the UE. Alternatively, the cellularcommunication network may store device profiles specifying suchparameters that are desirable for specific UEs, and the cellularcommunication network may establish a cellular connection with thespecific UE using the parameters specified in the device profile forthat UE.

The following are example parameters that may be specified in a deviceclass profile in an LTE cellular communication network. It should beunderstood that these are simply examples, and that other parametersand/or other cellular communication networks may be applied within thescope of this disclosure.

Device Class: A device class parameter may identify the device classwith which a device class profile is associated. For example, a deviceclass value of “Watch” may identify a UE that is (or includes, or isincluded in) a smart watch; a device class value of “Glasses” mayidentify a UE as smart glasses; a device class value of “Phone” mayidentify a UE as a traditional cellular telephone or smart phone. If aUE identifies itself with a device class value matching the device classvalue of the device class profile, then the cellular communicationnetwork may apply the parameters stored in the device class profile toestablishing a cellular connection with that UE.

NAT Timer: A NAT Timer parameter may specify a minimum value for thecellular communication network to assign as the Network AddressTranslation (NAT) session timeout value for a connection using thedevice class profile. The NAT session timeout value assigned by thecellular communication network defines the inactivity time after whichthe NAT connection will be terminated. Thus, a shorter NAT sessiontimeout value requires the UE to conduct activity on the connection morefrequently to avoid termination of the NAT connection, meaning that ashorter NAT session timeout value leads to increased power consumptionby the UE. Therefore, a UE may benefit from a longer NAT session timeoutvalue.

In a traditional system, when a UE attaches to a cellular communicationnetwork, the UE may not be aware of the NAT session timeout value usedby the cellular communication network. Thus, the UE may guess at the NATsession timeout value, and conduct activity on the connection frequentlyenough to avoid NAT session timeout based on the guessed timeout value.The UE may then incrementally adjust its guess to attempt to minimizeits required activity without losing the NAT connection. This process ofguessing and adjusting may cause the UE drop the NAT connection one ormore times, and may also cause the UE to engage in an unnecessarily highrate of activity while searching for a correct value. Therefore, a UE,and particularly a link budget limited (e.g., power limited) device, maybenefit from knowing in advance the NAT session timeout value used bythe cellular communication network, or at least a minimum NAT sessiontimeout value used by the cellular communication network.

Additionally, carriers, which traditionally assign a NAT session timeoutvalue globally on their network firewalls, are resistant to extendingtimers because it limits their IP pool. However, by utilizing deviceclass profiles or device profiles, the cellular communication networkmay assign a NAT session timeout value for specific devices or devicesof a particular class (e.g., a link budget limited class, such as smartwatches) that is equal to or greater than the minimum value specified bythe NAT Timer parameter included in the associated profile, whilepotentially assigning a different (e.g., shorter) NAT session timeoutvalue for other devices.

The NAT Timer parameter may thus be used to specify a value that wouldbe desired (e.g., optimized) for the identified device class, withoutsignificantly impacting the performance of the cellular communicationnetwork.

RACH Preamble: A RACH Preamble parameter may identify a reservedpreamble for the identified device class. A preamble is included in MSG1for RACH procedures. Available preambles are enumerated from 0 to 63. Areserved preamble for the identified device class may help the cellularcommunication network, and especially the eNB, to identify the UE as alink budget limited device early in the attach procedure. This earlyidentification may then enable a special treatment, either in terms ofresources, link budget or latency.

Additionally, there may be advantages to using higher numberedpreambles. For example, higher numbered preambles may have a differentformat than lower numbered preambles, such that the higher numberedpreambles may have improved detection at lower signal-to-noise ratios.In a traditional system, a cellular communication network may disallow alink budget limited device from using such higher numbered preambles,based on the assumption that a low-power UE is likely to be associatedwith low-priority and/or low-data-rate applications. By contrast, thecellular communication network might traditionally allow use of a largerrange of preambles by UEs that are expected to conduct higher-priorityapplications, such as voice communications. Thus, where a device classrepresents a category of link budget limited devices that are expectedto perform higher-priority applications (e.g., a cellular-voice-capablesmart watch), it may be advantageous for a UE of that class to beauthorized to use a higher-numbered reserved preamble, specified by theRACH preamble parameter.

RACH Preambles, as used in traditional systems, are disclosed more fullyin 3GPP TS 36.211 V.13.1.0, which was previously incorporated byreference.

QoS: A QoS parameter (which may in some scenarios include an array orother collection of parameters) may identify requested Quality ofService (QoS) metrics for the identified device class. For example, theQoS parameter may include a QoS Class Identifier (QCI) parameteridentifying a traffic class that may be used by the identified deviceclass. QCI values, as used in traditional systems, are disclosed morefully in 3GPP TS 23.203 V.13.7.0, which was previously incorporated byreference. The QoS parameter may further include additional parametersto be associated with the traffic class specified by the QCI parameterfor the identified device class. For example, the QoS parameter mayfurther include a minimum bitrate, delay value, and/or jitter value.

As an example, the QoS parameter may include a QCI parameter specifyingQCI1 if the identified device class is expected to performconversational voice communications. The QoS parameter may furtherinclude additional parameters (e.g., minimum bitrate, delay value,and/or jitter value) requested for conversational voice communicationstransmitted between the cellular communication network and a UE of theidentified device class. For example, the additional parameters mayrepresent values that are optimized for conversational voicecommunications, or that represent minimum requirements forconversational voice communications. When the cellular communicationnetwork exchanges conversational voice data with the UE, the cellularcommunication network may configure the connection according to QCI1 andthe additional parameters. For example, the cellular communicationnetwork may configure the connection with a priority of 2, a packetdelay budget of 100 ms, and a packet error loss rate of 10⁻², asspecified by QCI1, and the cellular communication network may furtherconfigure the connection with the minimum bitrate, delay value, jittervalue, etc., specified by the additional parameters of the device classprofile.

In some scenarios, the QoS parameter may further include one or moreadditional QCI parameters, which may have respective additionalparameters. For example, the QoS parameter in the example above mayfurther include a second QCI parameter of QCI9 if the identified deviceclass is expected to perform TCP-based data communications, along withsecond additional parameters (e.g., a second minimum bitrate, delayvalue, and/or jitter value) requested for TCP-based data communicationstransmitted between the cellular communication network and a UE of theidentified device class. When the cellular communication networkexchanges TCP-based data with the UE, the cellular communication networkmay configure the connection according to QCI9 and the second additionalparameters. For example, the cellular communication network mayconfigure the connection with a priority of 9, a packet delay budget of300 ms, and a packet error loss rate of 10′, as specified by QCI9, andthe cellular communication network may further configure the connectionwith the specified second minimum bitrate, delay value, jitter value,etc.

In some scenarios, the QoS parameter may include additional QCIparameters and associated additional parameters for any traffic classdefined in the LTE standards (or other standards defining an applicablecellular communication network). Thus, the device class profile maydefine QoS parameters for each traffic class that devices of theidentified device class are expected to use, or for any subset thereof.

In some scenarios, the cellular communication network may configure theconnection between the cellular communication network and a UE in theidentified device class according to the parameters specified in thedevice class profile for any traffic class included in the profile, andmay select parameters according to traditional procedures for anytraffic class not included in the profile. In other scenarios, thecellular communication network may configure the connection between thecellular communication network and the UE only according to trafficclass values included in the profile.

Defining QoS parameters for one or more QCI values may improve theefficiency and performance of communications between the UE and thecellular communication network. For example, in some traditional systemsit is common for the cellular communication network to apply QCI1 forvoice calls (e.g., VoLTE), and QCI9 for all other data communications,without further differentiation of the application making use of thecommunication. This means that connections supporting high-data-ratecommunications such as video-conferencing may be configured with thesame parameters as low-data-rate communications such as web browsing.However, if a certain class of device is expected to perform primarily aknown application, then the profile for that device class may specifyparameters that are desirable (e.g., optimized or minimum required) forthat application.

As noted above, in some scenarios, a cellular communication network maystore a device profile for a specific device (e.g., a specific linkbudget limited device), as opposed to, or in addition to, storing adevice class profile. Whereas a device class profile may be applied to aplurality of devices of a certain class, a device profile may instead beapplied to only a specific device. For example, a device profile mayinclude parameters such as those described above, which may be appliedto a connection between the cellular communication network and thespecific device.

FIG. 5—Profile Generation by the Link Budget Limited Device

Profiles, such as the device class profiles or device profiles discussedabove, may be stored by the cellular communication network prior toinitiation of attachment by a UE to which the profile applies. Thus, theUE may attach to the cellular communication network using the parametersspecified in the applicable profile, which may facilitate the attachprocedure.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example block diagram of a wireless communicationsystem in which a link budget limited device may directly negotiate adevice class profile and/or device profile with the cellularcommunication network.

FIG. 5 shows a UE 402, a base station (BS) 404, a provisioning server406, a home subscriber server (HSS) 408, and a mobility managemententity (MME) 410. The UE 402 may be a link budget limited device, suchas the secondary wireless device 107. The BS 404 may be a base stationsuch as the base station 102. The provisioning server 406 (sometimesalso referred to as an entitlement server) may include one or moreserver devices configured to provide integration with the core networkcomponents of the cellular wireless network. For example, theprovisioning server 406 may be configured to provide informationregarding whether specific services (e.g., Wi-Fi calling, personalhotspot) are available to a user device or to devices associated with auser account. The provisioning server 406 may be hosted by a carrier,such as a cellular service provider, or by an agent of the carrier, orby another entity. The HSS 408 and the MME 410 may include one or moreserver devices in the core network.

The UE 402 may be capable of performing cellular communication via theBS 404. However, for reasons such as those previously noted, attachingto the BS 404 according to traditional procedures may cause the UE 402to expend undesirable levels of time and/or power.

The UE 402 may also be capable of communicating according to one or morenon-cellular wireless communication protocols, such as one or morewireless local area network (WLAN) protocols (e.g., Wi-Fi protocols). Insome scenarios, the UE 402 may communicate according to the one or morenon-cellular wireless communication protocols with the provisioningserver 406 (e.g., via one or more intermediate networks, such as a Wi-Finetwork and/or the Internet). Thus, the UE 402 may negotiate a deviceprofile or device class profile to the cellular communication network byusing a non-cellular protocol prior to attaching to the BS 404. The UE402 may negotiate the profile prior to transmitting a connectioninitiation request, such as a MSG1, or otherwise establishing a cellularconnection with the cellular communication network.

Specifically, at communication 420, the UE 402 may communicate requestedprofile information to the provisioning server 406 using a non-cellularprotocol, e.g. directly or through one or more intermediate networks.The requested profile information may include requested values of one ormore cellular connection settings for a cellular connection between thecellular communication network and the UE 402, as discussed above. Insome scenarios, the requested profile information may define a deviceclass profile, which may be applicable to a class of devices to whichthe UE 402 belongs. In some scenarios, the requested profile informationmay alternatively, or additionally, define a device profile, which maybe applicable only to the UE 402. In some scenarios, the requestedprofile information may include an indication of a profile type; e.g.,the requested profile information may include an indication of whetherthe requested profile information defines a device profile or a deviceclass profile. In some scenarios, the presence of a particular field orvalue within the requested profile information may indicate the profiletype. For example, in some scenarios, the presence of a Device Classparameter within the requested profile information may indicate that therequested profile information defines a device class profile, while theabsence of the Device Class parameter may indicate that the requestedprofile information defines a device profile.

An example data format for the communication 420, including requestedprofile information defining a device class profile is provided below inthe JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) schema of Schema 1. It should beunderstood that the provided schema is only an example, and that otherdata formats and/or other data fields may be used within the scope ofthe present disclosure.

Schema 1 {  “$schema”: “http://json-schema.org/draft-04/schema#”, “type”: “object”,  “title”: “getSIMStatus schema.”,  “description”:“Describes the getSIMStatus Request”,  “name”: “/”,  “properties”: {  “request-id”: {    “type”: “integer”,    “title”: “request-idattribute”,    “description”: “Identifies the particular action. Uniquewithin a request.”,    “name”: “request-id”   },   “action-name”: {   “type”: “string”,    “title”: “action-name attribute”,   “description”: “Identifies the name of the Entitlements requestaction”,    “name”: “action-name”,    “default”: “getSIMStatus”,   “enum”: [getSIMStatus]   },   “primary-iccid”: {    “type”: “string”,   “title”: “primary-iccid attribute”,    “description”: “Contains theiPhone's Integrated Circuit Card Identifier.”,    “name”:“primary-iccid”   },   “secondary-device-params”: {    “type”: “array”,   “title”: “secondary-device-params attribute”,    “description”: “Listof devices paired to the Primary and its default    parameter values”,   “name”: “secondary-device-params”,    “items”: {     “type”:“object”,     “title”: “secondary-device-params attribute”,    “description”: “Defines secondary-device-params attributes”,    “properties”: {      “device-class”: {       “type”: “string”,      “title”: “device-class attribute”,       “description”:“Identifies the device class this settings are       applicable to”,      “name”: “device-class”,       “enum”: [“Watch”]      },     “nat-timer”: {       “type”: “integer”,       “title”: “Nat-timerattribute”,       “description”: “Network Address Translation entry timeout       expressed in seconds”,       “name”: “nat-timer”      },     “rach-preamble”: {       “type”: “integer”,       “title”:“rach-preamble attribute”,       “description”: “Reserved resource usedfor MSG1”,       “name”: “rach-preamble”,       “minimum”: 0,      “maximum”: 63      },      “qos”: {       “type”: “array”,      “title”: “QoS Attribute”,       “description”: “Quality Of Serviceconfiguration”,       “name”: “qos-class”,       properties: {       “qci”: {         “type”: “integer”,         “title”: “qciattribute”,         “description”: “Identifies the 3GPP QoS class        identifier”,         “name”: “qci”,         “enum”:[1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,65,66,69,70]        },        “min-bitrate”: {        “type”: “integer”,         “title”: “min-bitrate attribute”,        “description”: “Traffic class minimun bitrate in Kbps”,        “name”: “min-bitrate”,         “minimum”: “1”        },       “delay”: {         “type”: “integer”,         “title”: “delayattribute”,         “description”: “Time it takes a packet to reach theRx         endpoint. In msecs”,         “name”: “delay”        },       “jitter”: {         “type”: “integer”,         “title”: “jitterattribute”,         “description”: “Variation in the delay of received        packets”,         “name”: “jitter”        }       }      }     }   },    “required”: [     “device-class”    ]   }  },  “required”: [  “request-id”,   “action-name”,   “primary-iccid”,  “secondary-device-params”  ] }

At communication 422, the provisioning server 406 may communicate therequested profile information, or some subset thereof, to the HSS 408.The communication 422 may be in response to the provisioning server 406receiving the communication 420. In some scenarios, the provisioningserver 406 may also provide additional information pertaining to useraccounts, e.g., at the communication 422. For example, the provisioningserver 406 may identify additional devices associated with the same useraccount as the UE 402. Such additional cellular communication devicesmay be said to be in the same account family as the UE 402. For example,in some scenarios, if a user of the UE 402 has a customer account withthe cellular service provider allowing for the service provider toprovide cellular service for the UE 402, and the customer account alsoallows for the service provider to provide cellular service foradditional cellular communication devices (e.g., smartphone, tabletcomputer, etc.), then the additional cellular communication devices maybe said to be in the same account family as the UE 402, and theprovisioning server 406 may provide identification informationpertaining to the additional cellular communication devices. As anotherexample, in some scenarios, additional cellular communication devicesmay be said to be in the same account family as the UE 402 if they areassociated with the UE 402 based on another type of shared user account,such as a shared iCloud™ account.

In some scenarios, the provisioning server 406 may identify additionaldevices associated with the same user account as the UE 402 (i.e., thatare in the account family of the UE 402) that are also in the samedevice class as the UE 402.

In response to receiving the communication 422, the HSS 408 may evaluatethe requested profile information, and determine approved profileinformation. For example, the HSS may determine whether to accept therequested values of the one or more cellular connection settings asapproved values of the one or more cellular connection settings. The HSS408 may make this determination based on one or more factors, such asnetwork capabilities, available resources, power characteristics and/orlink budget requirements of the UE 402, etc. Specifically, the approvedprofile information may include an approved value for each of the one ormore cellular connection settings for which a requested value wasincluded in the requested profile information, or for some subsetthereof. In some scenarios, the approved value for a given cellularconnection setting may be the same as the requested value for the samecellular connection setting. In some scenarios, the approved value for agiven cellular connection setting may be different than the requestedvalue for the same cellular connection setting. In this manner, the HSS408 may indicate whether the cellular communication network willestablish a cellular connection according to the requested value for thecellular connection setting, or instead use an alternative value.

The approved profile information may, in some scenarios, further includean approved value for one or more additional cellular connectionsettings, for which no requested value was included in the requestedprofile information. As one example, the approved profile informationmay include an approved value for a set of PRACH Configurationparameters, which may identify the subframes that will be used for RACHand/or other PRACH configureation values, such as a number ofrepetitions if needed, a root sequence used, power ramp up, etc.

The HSS 408 may save the approved profile information as either a deviceprofile or a device class profile, e.g., depending upon the informationincluded in the requested profile information. For example, the approvedprofile information may be saved as a device profile associated with theUE 402. Specifically, the device profile may be associated with the UE402 by including a device identifier of the UE 402 (e.g., IMSI, IMEI, orDevice ID), which may be provided in the communication 422 and, in somescenarios, in the communication 420. Similarly, the approved profileinformation may be saved as a device class profile associated with adevice class identified in the requested profile information, e.g., byincluding the Device Class parameter in the profile. In some scenarios,the saved profile may further include account family information, e.g.,provided by the provisioning server 406. For example, the saved profilemay include identification information and/or device class informationregarding other devices in the account family. In such scenarios, thesaved profile may be associated with all of the devices included in theaccount family. Alternatively, the saved profile may be associated withall devices in the account family that have the device class matching adevice class identified in the requested profile information.

After determining the approved profile information (e.g., in response todetermining the approved profile information), the HSS 408 may, atcommunication 424, communicate the approved profile information to theprovisioning server 406. The HSS 408 may also, at communication 430,communicate the approved profile information to the MME 410. The MME 410may, at communication 432, pass the approved profile information to theBS 404 for use in establishing a cellular connection with the UE 402.For example, in some embodiments, the MME 410 may pass the approvedprofile information to each BS associated with the MME.

In response to the provisioning server 406 receiving the communication424, the provisioning server 406 may, at communication 426, communicatethe approved profile information, or some subset thereof, to the UE 402.The communication 426 may be according to a non-cellular protocol (e.g.,the same protocol used for the communication 420).

An example data format for the communication 426, including approvedprofile information defining a device class profile is provided below inthe JSON schema of Schema 2. It should be understood that the providedschema is only an example, and that other data formats and/or other datafields may be used within the scope of the present disclosure.

Schema 2 {  “$schema”: “http://json-schema.org/draft-04/schema#”, “type”: “object”,  “title”: “getSIMStatus schema.”,  “description”:“Describes the getSIMStatus Response”,  “name”: “/”,  “properties”: {  “response-id”: {    “type”: “integer”,    “title”: “response-idattribute”,    “description”: “Must match the request-id for which thisresponse    applies.”,    “name”: “response-id”   },   “status”: {   “type”: “integer”,    “title”: “status attribute”,    “description”:“Status response code for the action. Determines if    successful ornot”,    “name”: “status”   },   “secondary-device-params”: {    “type”:“array”,    “title”: “secondary-device-params attribute”,   “description”: “List of devices paired to the Primary and its default   parameter values”,    “name”: “secondary-device-params”,    “items”:{     “type”: “object”,     “title”: “secondary-device-paramsattribute”,     “description”: “Defines secondary-device-paramsattributes”,     “properties”: {      “device-class”: {       “type”:“string”,       “title”: “device-class attribute”,       “description”:“Identifies the device class this settings are       applicable to”,      “name”: “device-class”,       “enum”: [“Watch”]      },     “nat-timer”: {       “type”: “integer”,       “title”: “Nat-timerattribute”,       “description”: “Network Address Translation time out      expressed in seconds”,       “name”: “nat-timer”      },     “rach-preamble”: {       “type”: “integer”,       “title”:“rach-preamble attribute”,       “description”: “Reserved resource usedfor MSG1”,       “name”: “rach-preamble”,       “minimum”: 0,      “maximum”: 63      },      “prach-config-sib”: {       “type”:“string”,       “title”: “prach-config-sib attribute”,      “description”: “RACH config from SIB 2, Base-64 encoded”,      “name”: “prach-config-sib”      },      “qos”: {       “type”:“array”,       “title”: “QoS Attribute”,       “description”: “QualityOf Service configuration”,       “name”: “qos-class”,       properties:{        “qci”: {         “type”: “integer”,         “title”: “qciattribute”,         “description”: “Identifies the 3GPP QoS class        identifier”,         “name”: “qci”,         “enum”:[1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,65,66,69,70]        },        “min-bitrate”: {        “type”: “integer”,         “title”: “min-bitrate attribute”,        “description”: “QCI minimun bitrate in Kbps”,         “name”:“min-bitrate”,         “minimum”: 1        },        “delay”: {        “type”: “integer”,         “title”: “delay attribute”,        “description”: “Time it takes a packet to reach the        receiving endpoint. In msecs”,         “name”: “delay”        },       “jitter”: {         “type”: “integer”,         “title”: “jitterattribute”,         “description”: “Variation in the delay of received        packets”,        “name”: “jitter”        }       }      }     }   },    “required”: [     “device-class”    ]   }  },  “required”: [  “response-id”,   “status”,   “secondary-device-params”  ] }

Once the UE 402 has received the approved profile information in thecommunication 426, the UE 402 may initiate an attach procedure toestablish a cellular connection with the cellular wireless network. Forexample, the UE 402 may initiate the attach procedure by transmitting aconnection initiation request 440 (e.g., a MSG1) to the BS 404.

The UE 402 may include in the connection initiation request 440, anidentifier associating the UE 402 with the saved profile. For example,if the saved profile is a device profile associated with the UE 402,then the UE 402 may include in the connection initiation request 440 adevice identifier (e.g., IMSI, IMEI, or Device ID) of the UE 402,matching the device identifier included in the saved profile. Such adevice identifier may already be included in a connection initiationrequest, according to traditional systems. As another example, if thesaved profile is a device class profile, then the UE 402 may include inthe connection initiation request 440 a class identifier of the UE 402matching the device class parameter included in the saved profile.

The UE 402 may further configure the connection initiation request 440according to the saved profile; e.g., according to the approved valuesof the cellular connection settings included in the approved profileinformation. For example, if the saved profile includes a RACH Preambleparameter with a value of 63, then the UE 402 may include RACH Preamble63 in the connection initiation request 440.

In some scenarios, the BS 404 may have received and stored the savedprofile prior to receiving the connection initiation request 440. Forexample, the BS 404 may have received the saved profile via thecommunications 430 and 432 at approximately the same time the UE 402received the approved profile information. In some scenarios, the BS 404may not automatically receive the saved profile. Instead, the BS 404 mayrequest that the saved profile be provided to the BS 404 by the MMEand/or the HSS, e.g., via the communications 430 and 432, in response tothe BS 404 receiving the connection initiation request 440.

In response to receiving the connection initiation request 440 and thesaved profile, the BS 404 may determine whether connection initiationrequest 440 indicates that the UE 402 is associated with the savedprofile. For example, the BS 404 may determine that the deviceidentifier and/or device class identifier included in the connectioninitiation request 440 matches the device identifier and/or device classparameter included in the saved profile. If the BS 404 determines that areceived connection initiation request does not include a deviceidentifier or device class identifier matching any available savedprofiles, then the BS may respond to the received connection initiationrequest without regard to the saved profiles; e.g., according totraditional procedures. However, if the BS 404 determines that areceived connection initiation request does include a device identifierand/or device class identifier matching a saved profile, then the BS mayrespond to the received connection initiation request using that savedprofile.

Thus, in the example of FIG. 5, the BS 404 may, in response todetermining that the initiation request 440 indicates that the UE 402 isassociated with the saved profile, establish a cellular connection withthe UE 402 according to the saved profile; e.g., using the approvedvalues of the cellular connection settings included in the approvedprofile information and included in the saved profile. For example, theBS 404 may establish the cellular connection using a NAT session timeoutvalue equal to or greater than the minimum value specified by a NATTimer parameter included in the saved profile. Similarly, the BS 404 mayestablish the cellular connection using QoS values specified in thesaved profile. For example, the BS 404 may assign a QCI specified in thesaved profile, and may allocate other parameters (e.g., minimum bitrate,delay value, and/or jitter value) associated with the specified QCI inthe saved profile.

As noted above, in some scenarios, the BS 404 may use a device classprofile in establishing a cellular connection with any deviceidentifying itself as belonging to the applicable device class (e.g., byincluding an indication of the applicable device class in a connectioninitiation request). Thus, multiple devices of the applicable deviceclass may benefit from the UE 402 negotiating a device class profilewith the cellular communication network. For example, if the UE 402negotiates a device class profile for the device class “Watch” (e.g., byincluding a Device Class parameter with the value “Watch” in therequested profile information of the communication 420, and receiving aDevice Class parameter with the value “Watch” in the approved profileinformation of the communication 426), then the BS 404 may apply theapproved values of the cellular connection settings included in thesaved profile when establishing a cellular connection in response to anyconnection initiation request that includes a Device Class parameter of“Watch”.

As noted above, in some scenarios, the saved profile may apply only todevices belonging to the account family of the UE 402. For example, thesaved profile may include device identifiers for all devices in thefamily of the UE 402, or for all devices in the family having a devicetype specified in the requested profile information. As another example,information regarding associations between devices in an account familymay be stored separately from the saved profile, and the BS 404 (orother network element) may determine an account family relationshipbetween the UE 402 and a second device that transmits a connectioninitiation request in response to the BS 404 receiving the sessioninitiation request from the second device. Thus, in some scenarios,multiple devices in an account family (e.g., devices in the accountfamily having the same device class as the UE 402) may benefit from theUE 402 negotiating a device profile or device class profile with thecellular communications network. For example, if the UE 402 negotiates adevice class profile for the device class “Watch,” then the BS 404 maythe approved values of the cellular connection settings included in thesaved profile when establishing a cellular connection in response to anyconnection initiation request that that includes a Device Classparameter of “Watch” and that includes a device identifier of a devicein the account family of the UE 402. For example, if a user of the UE402 has a second cellular-capable watch associated with the samecellular service plan, that second watch may benefit from the profilenegotiated by the UE 402.

In some scenarios, the UE 402 may communicate the approved profileinformation to one or more other devices (not shown) belonging to thesame device class and/or account family to which the saved profile mayapply. Thus, the one or more other devices may also apply the approvedvalues of the cellular connection settings when establishing a cellularconnection with the cellular communication network (e.g., whentransmitting a connection initiation request).

FIG. 6—Profile Generation a Companion Device

A link budget limited device may, in some scenarios, utilize thecellular capabilities of an intermediate or proxy device. For example, asmart watch may utilize the cellular capabilities of a companion device,such as a smart phone. FIG. 6 illustrates an example block diagram of awireless communication system in which a link budget limited device maynegotiate a device class profile and/or device profile via such acompanion device. This may be beneficial, e.g., where the link budgetlimited device is not able to communicate with the provisioning server406 via a non-cellular connection, or where further power savings may berealized by the link-budget limited device by delegating the negotiationto the companion device.

FIG. 6 shows a UE 502, a companion device 512, a base station (BS) 404,a provisioning server 406, a home subscriber server (HSS) 408, and amobility management entity (MME) 410. The UE 502 may be a link budgetlimited device, such as the secondary wireless device 107. The companiondevice 512 may be an intermediate or proxy wireless communicationsdevice, such as the UE 106B. The base station (BS) 404, the provisioningserver 406, the home subscriber server (HSS) 408, and the mobilitymanagement entity (MME) 410 may be as described in connection with FIG.5.

The UE 502 may be capable of performing cellular communication via theBS 404. However, for reasons such as those previously noted, attachingto the BS 404 according to traditional procedures may cause the UE 502to expend undesirable levels of time and/or power.

The UE 502 may also be capable of communicating according to one or morenon-cellular wireless communication protocols, such as one or moreshort- or medium-range wireless communication protocols, such as Wi-Fiand/or Bluetooth. In some scenarios, the UE 502 may communicateaccording to the one or more non-cellular wireless communicationprotocols with the companion device 512. For example, the UE 502 maycommunicate directly with the companion device 512 using a peer-to-peernon-cellular wireless communication protocol. As another example, the UE502 may communicate with the companion device 512 using a shared localwireless network (e.g., a shared Wi-Fi network). As yet another example,the UE 502 may communicate with the companion device 512 via theInternet. If the UE 502 communicates with the companion device 512 viathe internet, security of the communications may be maintained bypassing the communications through a shared authenticated account, suchas a shared iCloud™ account. For example, the UE 502 may passcommunications to the shared authenticated account, which may capable offorwarding the communications to the companion device 512, because thecompanion device 512 is authorized to access the same account. Thecompanion device 512 may respond to the UE 502 in the same manner. Inthis way, the companion device 512 may securely function as a proxy orcompanion device to the UE 502, even while the two devices are not inclose proximity.

Like the UE 402 of FIG. 5, the UE 502 may seek to negotiate a deviceprofile or device class profile with the cellular communication networkprior to transmitting a connection initiation request, such as a MSG1,or otherwise establishing a cellular connection with the cellularcommunication network. To this end, the UE 502 may utilize the companiondevice 512 as a proxy to negotiate a profile with the cellularcommunication network.

Specifically, at communication 518, the UE 502 may communicate requestedprofile information to the companion device 512 using a non-cellularprotocol, e.g., directly or through one or more intermediate networks.The requested profile information may be as described with regard toFIG. 5, and may define a device profile and/or a device class profile.

In response to receiving the communication 518, the companion device 512may, at communication 520, communicate the requested profile informationto the provisioning server 406. The companion device 512 may communicatewith the provisioning server 406 using a non-cellular protocol, eitherdirectly or through one or more intermediate networks. Alternatively, oradditionally, the companion device 512 may communicate with theprovisioning server 406 using a previously-established cellularconnection with the cellular communication network. For example, thecompanion device 512 may communicate with the provisioning server 406via the BS 404. The communication 520 may, as one example, be formattedaccording to Schema 1, shown above.

At communication 422, the provisioning server 406 may communicate therequested profile information, or some subset thereof, and in somescenarios account family information as well, to the HSS 408, asdescribed with regard to FIG. 5. In response, the HSS 408 may determineand save approved profile information, and may communicate it to theprovisioning server 406 at communication 424 and to the MME 410 at 430,as described with regard to FIG. 5. The MME 410 may, at communication432, pass the approved profile information to the BS 404 for use inestablishing a cellular connection with the UE 502.

In response to the provisioning server 406 receiving the communication424, the provisioning server 406 may, at communication 526, communicatethe approved profile information, or some subset thereof, to thecompanion device 512. The communication 526 may be according to acellular or non-cellular protocol (e.g., the same protocol used for thecommunication 520). The communication 526 may, as one example, beformatted according to Schema 2, shown above.

In response to the companion device 512 receiving the communication 526,the companion device 512 may, at communication 528, communicate theapproved profile information, or some subset thereof, to the UE 502.

Once the UE 502 has received the approved profile information in thecommunication 426, the UE 402 may initiate an attach procedure toestablish a cellular connection with the cellular wireless network,e.g., by transmitting a connection initiation request 440 (e.g., a MSG1)to the BS 404. The connection initiation request 440 may be as describedwith regard to FIG. 5. Establishment of the cellular connection with thecellular wireless network, including application of the saved profile,may also proceed as described with regard to FIG. 5.

Use of the companion device 512 as a proxy in negotiating the profilemay offer several advantages, as compared to the UE 402 communicatingdirectly with the provisioning server 406. For example, as noted above,in some scenarios, the UE 502 may be unable to communicate with theprovisioning server 406 via a non-cellular protocol. For example, theprovisioning server may not support communications via non-cellularprotocols. Further, in some scenarios, additional power savings may berealized by the UE 502 by delegating the negotiation to the companiondevice 512.

In some scenarios, use of the companion device 512 as a proxy innegotiating the profile may obviate one or more future communications bythe UE 502. For example, in response to receiving the communication 518,the companion device may store the requested profile information.Subsequently (e.g., when the companion device 512 establishescommunication with a different cellular communication network), thecompanion device may again negotiate a profile for the UE 502. In such asubsequent negotiation, at least the communication 518 may be omittedbecause the companion device has already received the requested profileinformation.

Similarly, use of the companion device 512 as a proxy in negotiating theprofile may obviate communications by other devices associated with thecompanion device 512. For example, in response to receiving thecommunication 526, the companion device 512 may communicate the approvedprofile information not only to the UE 502, but also to any otherassociated devices to which the profile may apply (not shown). As aspecific example, if the saved profile is a device class profile for a“Watch” device class, then the companion device may communicate theapproved profile information to a second device (not shown) that isassociated with the companion device 512 (e.g., that is in communicationwith the companion device 512, or is in the same account family), andthat belongs to the “Watch” device class. Thus, the second device neednot negotiate a profile, but may instead initiate a connection with theBS 404 using the approved profile information. As another specificexample, if the saved profile applies to the account family of the UE502, then the companion device may communicate the approved profileinformation to one or more additional devices (not shown) belonging tothat account family. Thus, the one or more additional devices need notnegotiate a profile, but may instead initiate a connection with the BS404 using the approved profile information.

In some scenarios, the companion device 512 may be able to negotiatemultiple profiles in a single negotiation exchange. For example, thecompanion device 512 may receive a second set of requested profileinformation from a second link budget limited device (not shown). Insuch an example, the companion device may communicate to theprovisioning server 406 a single communication 520 including multiplesets of requested profile information corresponding to multiple deviceclasses or multiple devices.

Example Embodiments

Further details regarding certain example embodiments may be as follows.

An apparatus for negotiating one or more cellular connection parametersfor a cellular connection between a cellular communication network and amobile device may include at least one processor; and a memory storingsoftware instructions executable by the at least one processor. Thesoftware instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, maycause the apparatus to: receive, from the mobile device, prior to thecellular communication network receiving cellular communication from themobile device, requested values of the one or more cellular connectionsettings for a cellular connection between the cellular communicationnetwork and the mobile device; determine approved values of the one ormore cellular connection settings; communicate the approved values ofthe one or more cellular connection settings to the mobile device priorto the cellular communication network receiving cellular communicationfrom the mobile device; and communicate the approved values of the oneor more cellular connection settings to a radio access network of thecellular communication network for use in establishing the cellularconnection.

In some embodiments of the apparatus, at least one of the approvedvalues for a first cellular connection setting may be the same as therequested value for the first cellular connection setting. In someembodiments of the apparatus, at least one of the approved values for afirst cellular connection setting may be different than the requestedvalue for the first cellular connection setting.

In some scenarios, the apparatus may be or may be, or include, or beincluded within, an HSS, such as the HSS 408.

A method for establishing a cellular network connection for a linkbudget limited cellular communication device may be performed by amobile device, such as the companion device 512. The mobile device mayreceive, from the link budget limited cellular communication device, oneor more cellular connection settings with respective requested valuesfor a cellular connection between the cellular network and the linkbudget limited cellular communication device. The mobile device may alsotransmit, to a cellular network, the one or more cellular connectionsettings with the respective requested values. The mobile device mayalso receive, from the cellular network, the one or more cellularconnection settings with respective approved values for the cellularconnection. The mobile device may also transmit, to the link budgetlimited cellular communication device, one or more cellular connectionsettings with the respective approved values.

Embodiments of the present disclosure may be realized in any of variousforms. For example some embodiments may be realized as acomputer-implemented method, a computer-readable memory medium, or acomputer system. Other embodiments may be realized using one or morecustom-designed hardware devices such as ASICs. Still other embodimentsmay be realized using one or more programmable hardware elements such asFPGAs.

In some embodiments, a non-transitory computer-readable memory mediummay be configured so that it stores program instructions and/or data,where the program instructions, if executed by a computer system, causethe computer system to perform a method, e.g., any of a methodembodiments described herein, or, any combination of the methodembodiments described herein, or, any subset of any of the methodembodiments described herein, or, any combination of such subsets.

In some embodiments, a device (e.g., a UE 106, a secondary device 107,or any one or more of the servers or systems illustrated in any of thefigures) may be configured to include a processor (or a set ofprocessors) and a memory medium, where the memory medium stores programinstructions, where the processor is configured to read and execute theprogram instructions from the memory medium, where the programinstructions are executable to implement a method, e.g., any of thevarious method embodiments described herein (or, any combination of themethod embodiments described herein, or, any subset of any of the methodembodiments described herein, or, any combination of such subsets). Thedevice may be realized in any of various forms.

Although the embodiments above have been described in considerabledetail, numerous variations and modifications will become apparent tothose skilled in the art once the above disclosure is fully appreciated.It is intended that the following claims be interpreted to embrace allsuch variations and modifications.

What is claimed is:
 1. A base station of a cellular communicationnetwork, the base station comprising: at least one radio configured tocommunicate with a user equipment device (UE); at least one processorcommunicatively coupled to the at least one radio; and at least onememory storing: software instructions executable by the at least oneprocessor, wherein the software instructions, when executed by the atleast one processor, cause the base station to: receive a device classprofile comprising an identifier of a device class and one or morecellular connection settings to be used in configuring a cellularconnection between the base station and a device of the identifieddevice class; receive from the UE a connection initiation requestcomprising an indication of a device class of the UE; determine whetherthe device class of the UE is the same as the device class identified bythe device class profile; in response to determining that the deviceclass of the UE is the same as the device class identified by the deviceclass profile, establish a cellular connection with the UE using the oneor more cellular connection settings of the device class profile; and inresponse to determining that the device class of the UE is not the sameas the device class identified by the device class profile, establish acellular connection with the UE without regard to the one or morecellular connection settings of the device class profile.
 2. The basestation of claim 1, wherein the software instructions further cause thebase station to: receive the device class profile from a core network ofthe cellular communication network prior to receiving the connectioninitiation request.
 3. The base station of claim 1, wherein the UE is alink budget limited device, and wherein the device class profile isnegotiated with the cellular communication network, prior to thereceiving the connection initiation request, by a companion deviceassociated with the UE.
 4. The base station of claim 3, wherein thesoftware instructions further cause the base station to: establish acellular communication connection with the companion device, wherein thedevice class profile is negotiated with the cellular communicationnetwork by the companion device via the cellular communicationconnection.
 5. The base station of claim 1, wherein the device classprofile is negotiated with the cellular communication network, prior tothe receiving the connection initiation request, by the UE vianon-cellular communications.
 6. The base station of claim 1, wherein theone or more cellular connection settings are configured to improveefficiency of establishing the cellular connection between the basestation and the UE.
 7. The base station of claim 1, the at least onememory further storing: a second device class profile comprising anidentifier of a second device class, different from the first deviceclass, the second device class profile further comprising one or morecellular connection settings to be used in configuring a cellularconnection between the base station and a device of the identifiedsecond device class.
 8. A method for establishing, by a base station ina cellular communication network, a cellular network connection with auser equipment device (UE), the method comprising: by the base station:receiving a device class profile comprising an identifier of a deviceclass and one or more cellular connection settings to be used inconfiguring a cellular network connection between the base station and adevice of the identified device class; receiving from the UE aconnection initiation request comprising an indication of a device classof the UE; determining whether the device class of the UE is the same asthe device class identified by the device class profile; and in responseto determining that the device class of the UE is the same as the deviceclass identified by the device class profile, establishing a cellularconnection with the UE using the one or more cellular connectionsettings of the device class profile.
 9. The method of claim 8, furthercomprising: receiving the device class profile from a core network ofthe cellular communication network prior to receiving the connectioninitiation request.
 10. The method of claim 8, wherein the UE is a linkbudget limited device, and wherein the device class profile isnegotiated with the cellular communication network, prior to thereceiving the connection initiation request, by a companion deviceassociated with the UE.
 11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:establishing a cellular communication connection with the companiondevice, wherein the device class profile is negotiated with the cellularcommunication network by the companion device via the cellularcommunication connection.
 12. The method of claim 8, wherein the deviceclass profile is negotiated with the cellular communication network,prior to the receiving the connection initiation request, by the UE vianon-cellular communications.
 13. The method of claim 8, wherein the oneor more cellular connection settings are configured to improveefficiency of establishing the cellular connection between the basestation and the UE.
 14. A non-transitory computer-readable memory mediumstoring software instructions executable by a processor of a basestation in a cellular communication network to cause the base stationto: receive a device class profile comprising an identifier of a deviceclass and one or more cellular connection settings to be used inconfiguring a cellular network connection between the base station and adevice of the identified device class; receive from the UE a connectioninitiation request comprising an indication of a device class of the UE;determine whether the device class of the UE is the same as the deviceclass identified by the device class profile; in response to determiningthat the device class of the UE is the same as the device classidentified by the device class profile, establish a cellular connectionwith the UE using the one or more cellular connection settings of thedevice class profile; and in response to determining that the deviceclass of the UE is not the same as the device class identified by thedevice class profile, establish a cellular connection with the UEwithout regard to the one or more cellular connection settings of thedevice class profile.
 15. The non-transitory computer-readable memorymedium of claim 14, wherein the software instructions further cause thebase station to: receive the device class profile from a core network ofthe cellular communication network prior to receiving the connectioninitiation request.
 16. The non-transitory computer-readable memorymedium of claim 14, wherein the UE is a link budget limited device, andwherein the device class profile is negotiated with the cellularcommunication network, prior to the receiving the connection initiationrequest, by a companion device associated with the UE.
 17. Thenon-transitory computer-readable memory medium of claim 16, wherein thesoftware instructions further cause the base station to: establish acellular communication connection with the companion device, wherein thedevice class profile is negotiated with the cellular communicationnetwork by the companion device via the cellular communicationconnection.
 18. The non-transitory computer-readable memory medium ofclaim 14, wherein the device class profile is negotiated with thecellular communication network, prior to the receiving the connectioninitiation request, by the UE via non-cellular communications.
 19. Thenon-transitory computer-readable memory medium of claim 14, wherein theone or more cellular connection settings are configured to improveefficiency of establishing the cellular connection between the basestation and the UE.
 20. The non-transitory computer-readable memorymedium of claim 14, wherein the software instructions further cause thebase station to: receive a second device class profile comprising anidentifier of a second device class, different from the first deviceclass, the second device class profile further comprising one or morecellular connection settings to be used in configuring a cellularconnection between the base station and a device of the identifiedsecond device class.